Woo Pig Soieee! Backs!

A couple of weeks ago, Chris' mom, sister, and Hannah went to the Razorback gymnastic meet. I've been telling some people about this adorable video Chris took of Hannah, who learned how to call the Hogs. It's so stinkin' cute!!! This is just a picture, and the video is below.

37 Weeks...I know, I'm late!

Hello, full term! Our 37th week didn't bring too much excitement, just alot of anxiety. After getting over the fact that I am already starting to dilate, which freaked me and Chris both out, we pretty much worried for the rest of the week. Well not really worried, just thought, 'what if.' We were definitely looking towards today's doctor's appointment to see if I had made anymore progress. My weight was fine, I had no protein or sugars in my urine, but my blood pressure was high at the start (140/90-ish, which is high for me). I figured it was because I was nervous and stressed about what I have to get done at work this week. They checked it again at the end of the appointment at it was down to 104/64, which is kinda low for me, but it's better than being high! I really like the doctor I saw today. He took time to sit and talk with us, answer questions, he took notes in my chart, and he was MUCH more gentle than the doctor from last week. During my internal check, we learned that Sara Kate's head is pretty low (which is something I was wondering about), I'm still dilated to 1.5 cm, and I'm effaced 'maybe' to 80%. He wants me to come back Thursday to check my blood pressure, and then again on Monday for my next weekly appointment. Here's my 37 week belly picture.
And we're on the last fruit!! Eek!! What do ya know, it's a watermelon! :-)

Baby's now the size of a watermelon! Your full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting her first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. She's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!).

Another thing we did this week was install the car seat! No, Chris isn't riding around with the car seat in the backseat. I guess I should say that him and his brother-in-law installed the car seat base.

While the boys were doing this, I was going through my niece's old clothes with my sister-in-law. Fun! I ended up borrowing several little summer dresses, onesies, some infant gowns, and some jeans and long sleeve stuff for the fall/winter. I'm still in the process of organizing. Oh yeah, and we borrowed a ton of socks! Those were fun to put back together after I washed them. Ha!

This week was also Easter! Happy Easter from the Michaels' family! We look like we could go in Sara Kate's room...no, we didn't plan that. :-)

Saturday we had loads of fun watching Hannah look for eggs. She was very meticulous about it, especially when she found ones with pennies inside. She had to open them all to check them out. And she had to try and fit EVERY egg in the basket. Hannah eventually got sidetracked and Jenny was able to sneak the majority of the eggs away from her. Ahh, the things we have to look forward to as parents! :-) Here's a few pictures of the great hunt of 2010!

And finally, Hannah and Sara Kate got matching dresses for the summer! Hannah wanted to try hers on, and Sara Kate modeled hers the best she could! :-)

Yikes!

So I'm updating on Monday night, which according to what I said I was going to do in my last post means I've made some progress. Yikes! My blood pressure was 120/75 (great!), I gained no weight, they said nothing about protein or sugars in my urine, and I'm dilated to 1.5 centimeters and 70% effaced...that's the YIKES part! I know, I know, I can walk around for a couple weeks at 1.5 centimeters, and Chris and I read that with lots of first time moms, effacement happens before dilation. Guess only time will tell what will happen with me. As for the doctor, his bedside manner was a bit better today. He's still my least favorite of the doctors I've seen. One good thing about him and his nurses is that they get you in and out in no time!! Anyhow, that's my report for the day. I've decided that I've got to calm down because worrying isn't going to change things. She's going to come when she's ready, and I'll be thrilled to meet her when that day arrives.

March Showers bring April babies??

I know the saying is April Showers bring May Flowers, but today I had my baby shower at church! We are blessed with an amazing church family, and we came home with lots of good loot! The day was a bit bittersweet, though, because we had to say good bye to our dear friends, the Harnedy's. They are moving to San Antonio, TX, and we are going to miss them terribly! Here's a picture of our awesome praise band (minus the drummer who shall remain nameless, but had to go to MS this weekend :-) ) with Erin and Jack (they are on the front row beside me and Chris).
And one of the girls...me, Brandy, Joanna, and Erin. Love these girls!!
Ok, now to the shower part. Like I said, there was great food, great friends, and we were blessed with many things were were needing/wanting! Many thanks to Joanna who served as the photographer for the event! :-) I look like a goober in these pics, but oh well! Here's a few for your enjoyment!
And check out these awesome blankets that were made for Sara Kate. The first is on Chris' mom made that matches her room perfectly! Love it so much!!! The second is a quilt a couple ladies made.
Finally I'm going to post a picture of this adorable headband that Sara Kate got. I tried to explain it to my mom and I'm sure I wasn't making any sense. Seriously, I gotta know where to get these because I think she is going to need many more!!!

36 Weeks

Another week has come and gone. My doctor's appointment on Monday went well. My weight and blood pressure were good, and they said nothing about any protein or sugars in my urine so I assume it was fine. As of that appointment, I'd made no progress. They checked my blood for iron deficiency and did the check for strep B bacteria. Don't know what the results of those tests were yet. I was measuring right at 35 weeks, so just a couple days behind (I was 35 and 1/2 weeks at the appointment). I go back tomorrow for another check. Hopefully NO progress! Ha! Like I wrote last week, I won't update unless there's something to report. I have to see the doctor I don't care for so I'm not really looking forward to that! Oh well, maybe his bedside manner will be a bit better. Here's my 36 week belly picture. I've totally run out of things to wear so I'm pretty much wearing the same 3 shirts over and over again. So ignore that! :-)
And we are still on honey dew for the fruit of the week.

Baby's now the size of a honeydew!

Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, her gums are rigid, her liver and kidneys are in working order, and her circulation and immune system are basically good to go. Her lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day she gets a little closer to breathing on her own.

I'm still feeling fine, and I definitely am feeling pregnant (even though more people told me this week I'm not very big). I've had a bit of insomnia this week, starting when I get up to go to the bathroom during the night. I think that's caused by some anxiety about what I need to get done in the next couple weeks. I'm starting to get a little nervous, not because I'm going to have a baby, but because I don't have control over when she'll be here. Guess that's the way it's supposed to be but there's just so much unknown! Oh yeah, I got to see our little friend 'Diana Hospital' again. Remember her?

Ha! I went to a breastfeeding class this week at the hospital. It was very informative but there was alot of information. The fact that this kid is going to be dependent on me for food/drink is probably adding to my anxiety! Oh, and one more thing. I said last week that Sara Kate's room was done. I was wrong. She now has a lamp in her room! Ya'll know how hard it is to find a white floor lamp?? It's impossible! My mom ordered this for, us and it looks great! The only thing left to do is hang up some original art work her Aunt Holly is making for her. Then I think it'll be totally done!

35/35 and Welcome Spring!

Since I tend to be writing these posts on Sunday, I'm 35 weeks (and a couple days). What's 35/35 you may wonder? Well, I'm 35 weeks and that means there are 35 days left. That alone could make one say 'AHHHH!!' And I agree, it's a freaky thing to know there are 35 (or less) days left. My doctor's appointment this week went well. I gained no weight, my blood pressure was slightly elevated, and there were no protein or sugars in my urine. I go back tomorrow (3/22) and from now on go weekly and they do internal checks to check for dilation and effacement. The doctor told me this week that he doubted I had made any progress. My response was FINE with me! It made him look at me funny. I told him that I was fine with the baby staying in there for 6 more weeks. Ha! I'm sure I'll change my tune in a couple more weeks. So I'll update if there is any progress tomorrow, otherwise, I'll just write later in the week. Here's my 35 week belly picture.
I still have people telling me regularly that I'm pretty small, but I'm actually starting to feel not so small. Sara Kate seems to be moving all the time. Chris has felt some pretty good kicks lately, and we like to try to figure out what exactly we're feeling (foot, bottom, etc.). The other day she was sticking a foot out and he pushed on it; it made her kick out the other side, which made me say ouch! But all seems to be well, and that's all we could ask for. And here's our fruit/info. for the week.
Baby's now the size of a honeydew!

From now on, baby's growth is mostly in the plumping up department -- though she won't get much longer, she'll put on a pound or more of baby fat before birth. She's about 15 percent right now and will be about 30 percent by full-term.) Her hearing is totally developed (tip: baby responds best to higher pitches), and if she really is a "he," his testes have probably completed their descent.

**Let's hope this little one is actually a girl, otherwise, he has a beautiful purple and green room, complete with 'Sara Kate' on the wall!

So speaking of the room, it's done!! Mom and dad have been up here this weekend, and they've been a huge help! My dad got the valance hung (the blinds are up b/c dad caulked around the window...normally they would be down)....
And as I mentioned earlier, Sara Kate's name now graces the wall! Hanging those letters was an adventure. Wanna see something funny?? How many people does it take to figure out the best way to hang them?
Yep, it took everybody to figure out the best way to hang them (with me laughing behind the camera!). We decided to hang them over the changing table instead of over the crib b/c we would hate for her to pull them off the wall when she gets old enough to stand in her crib. Plus there will be a mobile on the crib that might obstruct the view of those pretty letters. Ha! Here's the finished product.

For the most part, the letters were easy to make. Here's how we did it:

1. Buy letters and scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby. 2. Trace letters upside down, on the back of the paper, and cut them out. 3. Put a layer of Mod Podge on the letter, making sure the glue goes on smooth. 4. Carefully put paper on top of letter, smoothing out to make sure there are no bubbles. 5. After step 4 has dried, apply a 2nd or 3rd coat of the Mod Podge on top to seal everything together (drying between each coat).

And now to the 'Welcome Spring' part of the post! Or instead, maybe this part should be titled 'Screw you, Spring!' Ha! Sorry if that was vulgar, but seriously, spring is no where to be found this weekend! On this beautiful first weekend of spring, northwest Arkansas is experiencing 8-12 inches of snow. Yep, that's right. Yesterday started with rain, then sleet, then rain and sleet mixed, then snow, then snow and sleet mixed, and then snow, snow, and more snow. Last time I went out and measured we were at 9.5 inches, and it's supposed to continue for the rest of the day and into tonight. I think I wrote on a blog post back in January that that storm was the most snow I'd ever seen. I would now like to retract that statement and say THIS is officially the most snow I've ever seen in my life! I just can't get over it! Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful, and I'm glad my parents are getting to see snow like this (b/c we all know that weather like this doesn't happen in south Arkansas!)...I just thought winter was over! So instead of putting more pictures of our house with snow, I'll post some pictures that I took this morning when we decided to take a little Sunday drive (after we found our church was canceled). Yep, the roads were snowy and slushy, but it was nice to take in a little snowy scenery.

(The last one is looking out Sara Kate's window into our back yard).

And here are the dogs running around. They are so funny TRYING to run b/c it pretty much comes up to their stomachs. Poor Cora and her short(er) legs was having to hop around.

34 Weeks

I'm 34 weeks (and a couple days by this point) and I feel like we're definitely in the down hill stretch. It's crazy to think Sara Kate will be here next month. I kinda panicked a bit on Friday when I checked some Facebook statuses and saw that a college friend who was due a couple weeks before me delivered her son last week. Lots of people are asking me if I'm ready and my answer is NO (which surprises them), but I'm not ready because of work...I still have WAY too much left to do before she comes!

This past week didn't bring too much excitement, besides our annual ant problem raring it's ugly head, but that's a totally different story. We can officially say that Sara Kate's room now has all it's furniture! We got a book case this week, and Chris and Phillip put it together yesterday. They said it was a pain to build, but it feels like a really solid piece of furniture, especially for being a sale piece at Target! You'll also notice there's a mattress leaned up against the wall...yay!! That's something else we have been waiting for! Thanks so much Grandma and Grandpa Mase!
The mattress is in the crib now, and I plan on washing the sheet today to put that on. I also plan on finishing up the wall letters today (hopefully) so my dad can help Chris hang them next weekend. I've been told by both our mothers that I need to start washing stuff, so maybe I'll get to work on that since we bought some hypo-allergenic detergent today. One other thing we need to do is clean out her closet to give her some space for stuff. Sounds like we have alot to do...ha!

I'm still feeling good. I'm still pretty active, and sleep is still good most of the time. The little back pain between my shoulder blades I mentioned last week has turned into a knot in my back that kept me awake last night because I couldn't turn over with out pain shooting in all directions. Sounds fun, right?? I need to lay on the heating pad, too. Add that to the 'to-do' list!! Sara Kate seems to be doing good, too. She's still super active. She was moving around all during church today...normally church is nap time. Maybe the stupid time change got her sleep schedule off, too. Ha! Here's my belly picture this week.
And she's still the size of a honeydew melon this week...same fruit, different info.

Baby's now the size of a honeydew!

Baby can recognize and react to simple songs...time to start practicing your lullabies! In fact, baby will recognize frequently sung tunes after birth and probably find them soothing. Less cute news: She now urinates about one pint per day. Get the diapers ready!

In other news, I think Cody knows something is up. When he was a puppy we used to put him on the couch because he couldn't figure out how to get down on his own. That way we could go do stuff, like clean or cook dinner, without having to watch him like a hawk to make sure he wasn't getting into anything.

(I couldn't find a picture of him confined to the couch so here's a picture of the day we brought him home...wasn't he the cutest??? And wasn't he tiny? Ha!)
Well, 4 years and another dog later, he will NOT get on the couch...until a couple of weeks ago. I was sitting on the couch and he put his front paws up on the couch beside me. I thought maybe he just wanted his chest rubbed, but I told him to come up and to my amazement, he did! And he's been getting on the couch ever since then! He's also gotten really affectionate...that in itself isn't super unusual because he can be sweet when he wants to be. But lately, he just wants to be rubbed and loved on. So I think he can sense something is different! I think Cora is still oblivious...but then again, she's not the brightest tool in the shed (she's still cute, though, and we love her)!
They don't both get on the couch at the same time...Chris just tried to get them both up there to see what they'd do. To our surprise, they both got up there and stayed as long as Chris sat there. Two 70-lb dogs doesn't leave much room for a human!